“Oh yeah, Momma will have like a little assembly line. Even Diana and Lisa will be there. Susan’s coming home. The whole kit and caboodle.”
“Well, I’ll just ask her when it gets closer to time what it is she wants me to bring, and we’ll just plan on doing it that way.” He was totally capable of making a big batch of a couple of things to feed a working of people, that was for sure.
“And see, there was another conversation that I thought was going to be hard that ended up being easy. I appreciate you being flexible with this. The holidays are super importantto Momma, and she ends up being the person that everybody screws around on Christmas. So she’s kind of demanded that she gets Thanksgiving Day proper. It’s well, you know, it’s a momma thing.”
“I like having a family thing for them, to get to go to something normal.”
“Well, I don’t know that I’d say anything about my family was normal, but I do understand what you’re saying in theory.”
“It’ll be what they see on TV normal, and this will be the first time they’ve ever had that—grandparents, and aunts, and uncles, and just people all around them. My family sucks that way, so does Allison’s.” He knew he didn’t have to get into that too hard with Cam because they’d been over it before. But it still irked him. Hell, it more than irked him. It hurt his feelings for his babies. And nobody fucked around with his babies.
“Anyway, like I said, we can talk to the girls before the actual day. But I think as long as Bekka gets to help chop things and learns how to baste things, she’ll be all over it.”
“Cool, and I can help her come up with a dish to bring, too, so she has something that’s all her own to put on the table.”
He was glad Cam couldn’t see his face because he was grinning to beat the band. Cam really seemed to get Bekka, and that was adorable. “She would love that. Maybe some kind of dessert that’s not pie.” It seemed to be easier than even side dishes because you could sit and measure and do this thing and that thing, and it all came out like it was supposed to. Cooking was a little harder because Cam tended to just add whatever. Obviously he’d learned that from his momma.
“Sounds perfect, babe.” Cam sighed, and Mitch could almost see him rolling his head on his neck. “All right, well, I have to finish up here and get down there to pay my entrance fees. I’ll talk to you tonight when I’m at the hotel.”
“You got it, you be careful, okay? If you need us, call.”
“Yeah, lucky for you I’m not a roughstock rider. The worst thing that’s going to happen to me is I get a new scar on my chin maybe.” Cam chuckled, but Mitch knew better. He knew no matter what the game was in rodeo, it was a dangerous one, and he didn’t want Cam getting hurt. He didn’t think he could cope with that right now. Everything was starting to feel okay.
When he couldn’t come up with anything to say, Cam cleared his throat. “Hang in there, babe. I’ll be home soon.”
Now he could find his voice. “I’ll look forward to it. I got some plans for your happy ass.”
Cam hung up on him, and he knew Cam wasn’t one for long goodbyes, so he didn’t surprise him at all. He set the phone aside and grinned a little to himself. He hoped Cam knew what he was getting into going into the holiday season, but he figured if the man was going to cut and run, it would happen after Halloween.
That way he’d have time to pick up the pieces before Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled around.
Chapter Fourteen
“Iknew it. I knew you’d go as a cowboy,” Bekka said, poking Cam in the hip with one sharp finger.
“Well, you were right, Miss Thing. I haven’t had time to come up with anything else, you know that, and I wanted to be sure we got to go to that trunk or treat thing together.” Cam had really had to work to get home in time for Halloween because one of his sponsors had wanted him to go to an invitational event and do some roping; he could use the paycheck, so he’d gone, but he had needed to make it back in time for this shindig.
The Girl Scout parties had gone well, and apparently Bekka’s birthday present she’d taken to one party had been a hit. But this was the Trunk or Treat. This was something they all got together in the town to do. All the people parking around the big parking lot at the fairgrounds and setting up the back of their cars or their pickup trucks with decorations and big buckets of candy to hand out so the kids could tromp around and collect it.
He figured this was going to be the first test of the girls being able to cope with his whole family, not just the cleaning crew who came over and invaded Mitch’s house every couple of weeks. It seemed like half the damn town was related to himsomehow, and they would all want to meet and greet with the girls, compliment them on their costumes, and give them candy.
Not to mention the fact all his nieces and nephews and a couple of cousins who were still young enough to trick-or-treat would be stopping by their vehicle to beg tons of candy and possibly play a few tricks.
“You girls about ready to go?” Mitch came out, and his costume had to be something from some video game. But Cam had to admit he had no idea which one it was. He knew things likeMarioorDonkey Kong, but whatever this was, he had no clue.
“Daddy, do you like my candy container? We made them in Girl Scouts.” Rachel held up a plastic pumpkin that had been decoupaged with God knew what. Cam was impressed that he knew the word decoupage, thanks to his sisters.
Mitch never missed a beat, though he smiled and nodded. “I think it’s real pretty, honey. Rachel, where is your pack so I can change your batteries?” The light-up costumes for the smaller kids had come with battery packs they could refill, and Rachel had been alight all day. “Sarah, come let me fix your wig. Bekka, where’s your horn?”
“I think it’s in the truck, Daddy, from the last time I went out in the costume.”
“Well, you need to go get it because we’re taking the big Suburban.”
“Okay.” She pelted off outside. It was still plenty of daylight. Trunk or Treat started well before dark and went until a little before nine.
Mitch did all the adjusting and getting the kids moving. “Yes, we have to put the coats in the car. No, you don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to.ButI want you to have them for when you decide you’re going to freeze to death.”
Little Rachel was the only one who had sleeves to speak of built into her costume. Mitch had spent a good long time figuring out how to keep them from getting frostbite. Rebekka had this amazing sparkly pink sweater they’d found at a thrift store, Rachel had a black hoodie with bat wings hot-glued on, and then, of course, their Wednesday Addams had a long-sleeved black runner’s turtleneck so she could be warm and all dressed in black.
